There are numerous tools available on the Internet to assist in online business blogging. A valuable tool that you should use is the Alexa Toolbar. Even better, this tool is free.

Internet Tools – Blogging Strategies

I’ve been doing some blog tweaking lately.  Recently I’ve installed the Alexa Internet Toolbar.  Apparently it’s working out well as my Alexa rating has been steadily decreasing.  Also, I’m toying with the idea of switching to the Thesis theme, even though I’m not too good at coding.

If you have a blog, you might want to consider adding the Alexa toolbar to improve your stats. Theoretically, the Alexa toolbar isn’t spyware as it doesn’t retrieve any private or personal information.

Alexa blog is owned by Amazon, and ranks sites from 1 to 5,000,000 and sometimes higher. Ranking  #1 has the most traffic while anything below 250,000 and you should be getting some decent traffic levels on your statistics report. As of February, 2010 my current Alexa rating was 74,800.  This information can be used to determine how well your advertising campaigns are going and how your traffic levels are growing over a period of time. Since I write product reviews and have a PR Media Kit, I monitor these statistics and update my Media Kit periodically.

This information can also be used to determine how your fellow bloggers are doing and keep you one step ahead of them. The tool provides you with essential information regarding any site you’re looking at, including your own. If a company approaches you claiming they have lots of traffic, you can just pull up their site and review the Alexa statistics. This allows you to verify who’s receiving a significant amount of traffic and who’s feeding you a line.

So now you want to know how do you use this tool? First, you download the Alexa Toolbar as follows:

1. Go to Alexa.com
2. Click “Download Alexa Toolbar” at the top of the page.
3. Click “Install” on the next page.
Reload the page you are viewing and the toolbar will appear across the top of your browser.

If any of your readers have the Alexa toolbar installed, any time they visit you, it will help your rankings.  In turn, when you visit their sites, you’ll be building back links while helping your fellow blog buddies out.

Why not try an experiment for a month – download the toolbar and monitor one of your sites.  Once you see the data you receive and the way it can be interpreted and used, you won’t know how you survived without it!

© C. Matthews 2010

UPDATE: As of November 18, 2010 my Alexa Rank is showing 44,107

Enjoy this post?  Visit I’ve written many more Blogging Tips and Technique posts  that I enjoy sharing with my readers!

Alexa Toolbar Benefits For Bloggers is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Affordable Web Hosting Solutions

I just got one of the best Christmas presents from Mom Webs Hosting, my web host!  I host this blog, my grandparents and grandchilren blog, Frugal New England Kitchen and my Virtual Assistant website, CAM Virtual Assistant Services on Mom Webs.

Just before Christmas I received an email that said:

Here’s the holiday blessing…

We have significantly bumped the storage and bandwidth limits on our Multi and Mega hosting plans.

Multi storage has been boosted from 600 to 1000 MB and bandwidth has been doubled from 20 to 40 GB.

Mega storage has been blasted from 1000 to 2500 MB and bandwidth has been doubled from 40 to 80 GB.

These increases are PERMANENT – so you can power forward in 2010, growing your business without fear of running out of space and bandwidth.

Enjoy these increases and have an amazing holiday season!

Kelly, Nicole and Scott

If you’re a work at home mom like me, you may also have struggled with finding reliable affordable web hosting. Well, over the years (and many headaches later), I’ve come up with a checklist of essentials that your WAHM web host must have before you even consider working with them.

1. Excellent Reliability.

There is nothing more frustrating than finding out your website is down, and has been for hours. Although no time is a good time to have your site down, the timing can be just terrible. That sinking feeling when you’ve purchased advertising and you know the ad is about to be sent out and you go to your website for last minute touches and … it’s down.

That’s not cool. That is not acceptable. You must make sure that the web host you select not only has good reliability, but superior reliability. This is your business on the line, not some hobby site. Treat it as such and get hosting that works for you when you need it. But, you can’t just trust a website that says they are reliable. Make sure they can prove it.

2. Superior Customer Support.

When you do need help, make sure that your hosting will provide it. One thing I recommend is to contact support to ask a simple question about the hosting, before buying. That will give you an idea of what the customer service is like before you make a commitment. Yes, customer service has a difficult job – making sure they do not confuse less-experienced customers, yet, at the same time, also making sure not to talk down to the geek types. However, you should never feel like you are a “bother” or that your question is not as important as anyone else’s.. or worse, dumb. You should find a web host with superior customer support.

3. The Stats You Need.

Several of the most popular hosts do not offer the web stats that every online business needs. You may not think that you need stats, but, how else are you going to know what is working – and what is not? You need stats that tell you where your visitors are coming from, how long they are staying, and which pages they are coming in and going from. Does your web host offer that? If they have a CPanel as their control panel, they do. Find a web host that uses a standard CPanel.

4. Affordable.

Why spend more if you don’t have to? When looking for a web host, price is always a factor. So, shop around and make sure that the web host you decide upon offers a great price.

5. Room to Grow.

The web host you choose should offer unlimited hosting. This means, that, if you add more websites to your package down the road, the price does not increase drastically for each one. Many online businesses start with one site and grow over time. Can your host grow with you?

6. Bandwidth and Disk Space.

Also, make sure that the host you choose is in the ballpark for bandwidth and disk space. Most programs offer approximately the same amount, but, especially if you plan to add a lot of audio or video, be sure to look into this, as well.

7. A History of Happy Customers.

New hosting companies are popping up daily. Some are being run by a couple of teenagers in their garage. Obviously, that’s not who I want to entrust my business to. Do you? I want to know that the company I’m choosing has been around a few years, and has a history of happy customers to show for it. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, and you shouldn’t either.

Those are the key features that any web host should offer before you consider doing business with them. Choosing a web host can be more important than any other decision you make in your online business – if you choose wrong. So, take the time and find a web host that will work with you, and help you to succeed.

Every time I need customer support, they’re there, virtually 24/7 and my questions are answered so quickly and professionally!

Nicole Dean, Kelly McCausey and Scott are co-owners of Mom Webs Hosting where you’ll find the host that offers everything a WAHM needs – reliability, unlimited hosting, and customer service that never makes you feel intimidated — all at a price you can afford.

Check out their sister site for your business web hosting at Reliable Webs.

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I’d like to let you know about a new resource available at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The FTC is introducing Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online. This booklet is chock-full of practical tips to help parents help their kids navigate the online world – whether they’re dealing with social networking and cyberbullying or sexting and file-sharing.

You may also order free copies to share with family and friends – or with a school, scout troop, or soccer team at FTC Publications.

For More Information Visit: OnGuard Online

Net Cetera is also available in Spanish

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If you’re dropping in from Entrecard and looking for my widget, it’s not here any longer.  After much thought, I have decided to withdraw all of my blogs from Entrecard.Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another | Moomettesgram’s Musings, Apr 2009

You should read the whole article.

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Long before I became a blogger I began my online presence by opening an eBay store where I quickly became a Power Seller.  To increase my WAHM online knowledge I joined several eBay and boutique children’s clothing forums and was invited to become a Moderator on one of them.

A bit of advice I picked up along the way was to develop a business card to enclose when I shipped out the ecommerce products I had sold on eBay  and encourage customers to become repeat buyers and also leave me feedback.

I ordered several boxes of business cards from Vista Print.

Now that I author 4 blogs I order business cards with the names of my blogs imprinted on them.  Business cards are a great way to promote your brand if you’re trying to secure sponsorships to blogging conferences such as BlogHer.   It’s always a good idea to carry some to hand out if you’re networking at Chamber of Commerce meetings, church functions or community service functions.

I’m happy to have the opportunity to review not only the Customized Business Cards that Vista print sent, but also the matching Folded Note Cards and customized Address Labels.  They go so well with my blog theme!

Vista Print also offers Free business products as well as customized products for every need to help you promote your brand and grow your business:

• Rubber Stamps

• Pens

• Car Magnets

• T-Shirts and more!

Even if you don’t blog, Mommy Cards are also very popular to hand out at your local pre-school, playgroup or PTA events!

Given the state of the economy and today’s job market, networking or introduction cards are  a great idea to have on hand to pass out!

Visit Print is offering my readers 25% off of any orders!

For more information visit: Vista Print

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I have been  inviting bloggers and writers to share their ideas and experiences with my readers who are interested in Working from Home.

Today’s Guest Blogger is my Twitter friend @Joyntheir who will be discussing how she got her start doing blog reviews, as well as her inauguration into the  social networking world as a WAHM Mommy Blogger.  You can find more of her insightful posts and reviews at Blog Reviews by Joy as well as fitness and health topics at Be the Weight You Want.

If you have a topic of interest that you’d like to share and be a Guest Blogger on Moomettesgram’s Musings, please contact me (see Contact tab above).

The Internet world, and blogging world, is like rafting down a river. You learn at every turn, you meet new people, and see new places. Your road takes twists and turns, and often your goals and directions change with it. This is a story of part of my journey, and a very special friend I have made along the way.

My Internet journey started with a website which was a project of an Internet mentor program. Journeying on, I started experimenting with a free blog on wordpress.com. I made a stop at Blogcatalog to socialize and meet other bloggers. That is where I learned about Entrecard. I journeyed on to Entrecard, participating with a vengeance. Surfing to drop cards, I found many wonderful blogs set up for many different purposes. One lady had a blog which had posts on other blogs, all by women. She contacted me and asked if she could include my blog.

At this point I had a personal blog, a weight loss blog, and an exercise blog, but how do you get link backs? Other than a few connections I made at Blog Catalog and followed into Stumble Ipon and Digg, I was virtually alone on the Internet. I had purchased a domain name and set up my web host which gave me a home for all my blogs and sites I could set up. Think of Bloggingwomen, I decided to start a blog on which I would spotlight other blogs. I found a widget which allowed readers to give a rating (1 to 5 stars) on the post – actually on the blog. As I surfed through Entrecard, I found blogs I was impressed with – then contacted the bloggers to see if they wanted to exchange a link to one of my blogs in exchange for a spotlight on their blog.

One of the first bloggers to accept my offer was a lady by the name of Moomettesgram. She had three blogs/sites she wanted reviewed. I checked out her blogs/sites and found a wonderful world – well you can read about it at Blog Reviews by Joy.   Moomettesgram was excited by the review I wrote. She offered much encouragement to me. We continued to communicate with each other as we bumped into each other around the web. I began to look for her with each stop I made and became more and more impressed with this obviously gracious lady with a generous heart.

One day I received an email asking me if I would like to write for an ‘online magazine for and by women’ as she had become editor of one of the channels. The posts would contain a link-back to my blog and get recognition for me on the Internet. I was honored and began to write posts for them. When I began reviewing blogs again, she had a new blog which I also did a spotlight on. By the way, it is rated as the top blog on Blog Reviews by Joy http://joyntheir.com by the readers.

One of the first sites I joined on a stern recommendation of my coach was Twitter. I did not care for Twitter. It was an endless conversation of thousands of people all talking at one time. My brain could not wrap around it. A few months later, I heard of a new social site called Plurk. At that point I was joining all the bookmarking and social sites there were, if only to ensure no one else would be using my brand (user name) of @Joyntheir. I really liked Plurk because of the way the conversations are displayed. It has a timeline, the start of a Plurk, and a drop down showing all the answers and interaction on that first Plurk. It was much easier to follow. I meet more people and using Plurk, I became accustomed to that type of communication. The drawback was I would go there when I had time and not find anyone to Plurk with.

I went back to Twitter to check it out. Who did I find there? Yes sir, Moomettesgram. She and her Twitter friends included me in the Twittering, making me feel welcome. I began running into others I had met at Digg, Stumbleupon, and Blogcatalog along with Mixx, Facebook, Mybloglog, and FriendFeed. I started adding everyone I had any contact with in other social sites, and they followed me back! I went to the other social sites and found Twitter groups where people listed their name to follow and be followed on Twitter. My following and follows began to grow. I read the ‘guides’ about Twitter online, and little tips. I began to look for Tweeple (thats people) with the same interests as mine. There are at least 4 sites who list Tweeps by name and interest which give you lists of Tweeple you can follow.

Caution: If you are on Twitter to post your links periodically throughout the day, you will not get very far. You need to build relationships, let people get to know you – an individual.  Give helps when you can. Retweet others links and remarks when applicable. Become part of the community.

So where does Twitter get me? Besides meeting others and chatting, we exchange ideas, URLs to news and items of interest, and ask and answer questions such as how to and why and sometimes when. Observing that one tweeter had daily tips and another had daily quotes, I thought “I can start putting out a daily weight loss reminder.” I started that the second week in April this year. By the third day, I was having some replies. It is very important to acknowledge the replies you receive. Some replies need to be humorous, while others need to be a little more straight forward. Then I noticed there were more people with Twitter names referencing weight issues  starting to follow me. There is an online app called Twitthis you can choose while on a sites or posts which will send a tweet that says something like this: (I am)” browsing around “this new house” blog and finding useful information on redecorating”. Other Tweeple will read my tweet and click on the link to check out the site. This is a gentle way to put your blog link in a tweet and a way to get traffic to your blog or site.

If I were on the Internet just to write about whatever and didn’t care if anyone read it, then I would not need to get involved with the groups I have mentioned. However, whether I make any money or not, I want to help people who have problems with losing weight get to where we want to go; Be The Weight You Want .  And to do that I have to find people who are interested or need that information to let them know I am there and I have a blog which could help them. I need to continue to connect on the Internet, write articles or guest post on other wonderful blogs, and keep up with what is going in in the Internet world (like who is buying what or partnering with who, i.e., which way is Google headed today).

As for Blog Reviews by Joy http://joyntheir.com I plan on continuing to find new promising blogs to spotlight. Any criticism or suggestions I have on one, I will give to the blogger via email. My goal is to raise the page ranking so that the links hold more SEO weight for the bloggers, helping both the bloggers and I to get closer to the search engine lights in an effort to be taken notice of. Yes, this will involve some Tweets. In the future, I hope to be able to give a monthly prize, at least a badge or banner award to the top blog of that month, and a bigger “something” to the blog of the year. I need to stir up interest in enough people to register and vote on the blogs. And to pay the expenses of the blog, I need to choose good blogging that will help to advertise in the column. Someday I might know enough to offer paid reviews to the newer bloggers trying to get their blog on track and noticed.

If you are interested in the Internet; if you like to socialize, and if you like being on a continuous journey of learning, you have begun a journey in a world of its own. You can go many places and meet many people of all types from your home. With the advances in technology, you can even speak face- to- face with others. Or you can simply have conversations by IM-ing (instant text messaging), leaving messages on sites, or emails. You can be as secluded or as included as you feel comfortable with. If you are lucky enough to meet people like Cindi, you have made a friend for life that someday you might have coffee with in the real world.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

For More Information Visit:

Blog Reviews By Joy http://joyntheir.com/

Be the Weight You Want http://betheweightyouwant.com

Disclaimer: Guest Post opinions are strictly those of the author.

Alexa Toolbar Benefits For Bloggers is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Are you a WAHM or Blogger and are thinking of getting a new computer but concerned how you’ll transfer all your data over?

Western Digital My Passport Essential 160 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive

This isn’t the first time I’ve gotten a new computer and had to transfer data but it certainly appeared that it was going to be the most complicated.  Until now, I never had been a work-at-home blogger prior to this new present.

Fortunately, my new next-door neighbor is Tech Guru Guy, who has a degree in Information Technology and teaches at a private high school.  Yay!  Tech Guru suggested that the easiest and most pain-free way to do this would be to get a Western Digital Passport Portable Hard Drive.

Read the whole Product Review I wrote on Frugal WAHMs Product Reviews

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I must follow you

….Ricky Nelson/Little Peggy March

I used to have a Green banner in the right-hand corner of my blog. It said that I’ve become NoFollow Free!

Recently I’ve been doing quite a bit of research regarding the NoFollow/DoFollow attributes regarding comments and links pertaining to Word-Press.  As a WAHM, I’m always looking for a way to build a better widget and gain traffic to my blog.

Today I installed the Word Press plug-in called NoFollowFree

Since I upgraded and have the automatic plug-in installer, it was super easy.

As I belong to When I belonged to Entrecard, I’d been introduced to many wonderful, informative blogs.  Here’s a post by Inside My Head that summarizes the No-Follow/Do-Follow concept in an easy-to-understand manner.

Most blog platforms have a built in default for the ‘NoFollow’ code. Wherever there is a link in a comment, search engines will not follow the link as they are crawling the internet, thus not providing backlinks and trackbacks. Its intended purpose was to help stop comment spam, but it doesn’t work. What it does do is remove some of the incentive for readers to contribute to your site by commenting on your posts.

What’s equally great, is that Leigh has listed all the blogs that now have removed the NoFollow feature.

Like Leigh, I have imposed some restrictions before the NoFollow provision is removed.  However, what’s great is that the more you comment on these DoFollow blogs, once you hit the required minimum posts, the restriction is removed, and you will benefit by having more backlinks to your blogs!

To learn how to remove NoFollow tags from Blogger blogs, there’s an informative Squidoo lens HERE.

I’m hoping that since I’ve also installed  CommentLuv and changed these attributes on my blogs, that I’ll see my statistics increase.

Your thoughts?  Do you prefer No Follow or Do Follow?  And Why?

Related Reading:

Instantly Add Your “Do Follow” Blogs

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Wow, I can’t believe that in less than two years I’ve accomplished creating several businesses and two blogs! In that amount of time, I’ve experimented with several different hosting sites, both free and paid. It’s been quite a learning experience.  My Blog Anniversary is coming up in about 63 days!

Actually, I’m considering creating a third blog, and will be checking out Web Hosting Rating to see which sites provide the best web hosting services for my needs. However, I’ll be researching their article databases prior to making any decisions. There’s plenty of information on secure hosting redirects and securing multiple domains.

If you’re considering starting an online work-at-home business or a blog, it’s best to do your research first!

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I’ve been Entrecard Dropping lately and requesting ads on many new blogs.

I check back frequently within a day or two to see whether my ads were approved.  What’s the purpose of putting an EC banner on your blog for people to drop in on, if you can’t bother to check back and approve/disapprove an ad request.  It just languishes there?

I cancel any ad requests I’ve made if it’s not approved within 1 or 2 days tops.  I’m not going to tie up my EC points.  It’s not fair to me, who obviously had taken an interest in your blog.  That’s a sure-fire turnoff to gain new readers/subscribers.

Oh, and one more thing ~ Newbies ~ put your banner above the fold.

Either get with the program, or drop out of it.  SOGOTP.

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